Window
by takaondo
Summary: Day in and day out, she comes in through the window into his room – just like the night when he first met her. IchiRuki Oneshot


**Disclaimer: **I don't own BLEACH.**  
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**Author's Notes:** Here's the present I promised on behalf of the hits and reviews on BLEACH: Aftermath. It was inspired by the window at the side of my desk. The entire fiction took less than an hour to write - ends up being one of those 'spur of the moment' type deals.

There maybe errors here and there, but I'll be around to fix them even after the upload. Enjoy.

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_**Window**_

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Kurosaki Ichigo sat quietly on the floor next to his bed as he tried to focus his attention on the book he was reading. Leaning against the soft mattress with his back, the orange bangs on his face blew gently away from his eyes from a quick breeze. The window next to his bed was open, letting the wind roll in without obstruction. It strengthened occasionally, blowing powerfully against his curtains in a majestic flourish behind him.

His eyes flickered to his right as a great gust blew, and soundlessly like a ghost, Kuchiki Rukia jumped through the window before landing on the floor in front of him. Already clothed in her real-world attire, she looked around the room with an unreadable expression. Her violet eyes fell upon Ichigo, who seemed to not care whether she had arrived or not.

Her eyebrow rose as she turned to him and she crossed her arms over her chest in annoyance.

"Where's my 'welcome home'?" Rukia asked angrily. Ichigo looked up from his book at her with a scowl, but he quickly smirked at her. She promptly returned the smirk, as if this was a normal occurrence.

"Ah… welcome home." Ichigo said.

"That's better." Rukia said brightly, taking off her shoes as she walked over towards the bed. Ichigo's body shifted as the mattress behind him gave a small squeak; Rukia had gracefully thrown herself onto it.

She turned towards him as she lay, smirking lightly at his attitude. Though it seemed as though he was ignoring her presence in the room, he was clearly content with the idea of her intruding into his private space. A comfortable silence quickly fell between the two.

"I'm sorry, Ichigo…" Rukia spoke up suddenly, turning back to stare up at the ceiling. She smiled lightly and playfully in thought. "For coming here so much without giving you prior notice…"

"Hn…" Ichigo responded without looking up.

"Now that everything has calmed down..." She raised her hand upwards, letting the wind caress it as it blew in through the window. "In Soul Society, where everything was normal again… I thought I was going to be happy about that…"

Her hand fell to her side and she closed her eyes in slight frustration.

"But the truth is… I don't like it…"

Ichigo's amber eyes lit up as he glanced at her over his shoulder.

"Being around my brother, my officers, and my comrades… I feel pressured to keep up an appearance…" Rukia continued. She slowly opened her eyes, and her violet orbs softened. "But…"

She turned towards him, smiling lightly.

"I don't have to do that with you."

Ichigo stared at her for a few moments before he scowled and turned back to his book.

"I don't know whether that's a good thing or not." Ichigo said off-handedly.

She only smirked at his retort, as though she had expected it from him.

"Idiot…" Rukia said. "Even though we're separated by two completely different worlds, we still end up being stuck together…"

For a few moments, the only thing that could be heard was the gentle ruffling of paper when Ichigo turned a page of his book. Though seemingly focused on his book, it was clear he was distracted by her statement. His fingers slowly stopped moving and he stared hard at the book before he spoke.

"I don't mind that… not at all…" Ichigo said determinedly.

Rukia closed her eyes contently and smiled softly at his response. She shifted her body a little as she continued to stay turned towards him, curling her legs up slightly as she let out a tired sigh.

"Hey Ichigo…" Rukia mumbled.

Her voice was faint as she started to fall asleep.

"Is it wrong for me to look forward to coming through your window every day…?" Rukia finished quietly.

Ichigo slowly turned to her, listening to the soft sounds of her breathing. Her expression was serene and comfortable as she slept, showing him a side that she would have shown no one else. A small breeze gently blew against her dark raven locks, leaving a stand of hair to fall onto her face.

His arm rose gently from his side, letting his book fall gently into his lap.

"Idiot…"

His hand tenderly brushed across her cheek, moving the strand of hair away from her face.

"I'm the one who waits for you to come through that damn window every day."

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**Final Words:**It was a really quick write up but I enjoyed every moment of it - I hope some of you did too.


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